Two Months with Jack

This is a few days late, but our little man is two months old now! And really, he's not so little. At his 2 month doctor's appointment last Friday he weighed in at 14 lbs., 10.5 oz. and was 24. 5" long! That puts him in the 90th and 95th percentiles respectively. As you can see, he doesn't miss a meal! Jack's 2nd month was MUCH less eventful than his first. Joe and I are very thankful for that! At his first follow up appointment with the NICU clinic, they told us that we could take him off his supplemental oxygen and heart rate/apnea monitor during the day. Now he just uses those 2 things at night and during the day we just have to spot check his blood oxygen levels with a pulse oximeter monitor they sent us home with. (The stickers you'll see on Jack's cheeks in all these pictures are what we tape his oxygen tube to at night.) This has made it much easier to care for Jack during the day because I can bring him around the house with me instead of him being tied to the living room. Jack has been doing great, with the exception of coming down with RSV a couple weeks ago. For those who don't know, RSV is a respiratory virus that can be very serious for infants. Many end up being hospitalized. With the help of a breathing treatment and frequent suctioning of his nose, Jack got over his coughing and stuffiness without having to go back to the hospital. He had to miss his first 2 birthday parties that he was invited to, but he is feeling much better now! Before I get to the photo roll I'll give a little list of the things Jack does and likes at 2 months. (This is really more for me to remember!)

Jack at 2 Months:
- Wearing size 3-6 month clothes
- Smiles and coos when in a good mood (or when you make funny noises for him)
- Does a great job at tummy time until he gets mad
- Has rolled over from belly to back several times. Thanks to his big head pulling him over when he lifts it.
- Loves being carried around on his belly in a "football" hold.
- Has started discovering his hands
- Will follow you around the room with his eyes
- Loves looking at anything shiny and gold in the house.
- Is a pretty good sleeper at night, but still wakes up a couple times to eat.
- Enjoys sitting with Mom and playing the piano

Now for some pictures!

Just chilling with friends on Valentine's day. Jack, Allie, and Warren.

Yes, I made us all coordinate for Valentine's day. 

Old man / heart breaker :)

Dad is so silly :)

He had absolutely zero interest in the toys I gave him.  

This is the face he gave me after pushing out a big squishy in his diaper!

Just snuggling with Mom before bedtime. 

Jack got to hang out with his Grandma and Grandpa Lombardo this weekend and will have a steady stream of guests and visitors for the next two weeks. We're looking forward to all the company! And help :) We're also excited about the amazing weather that is forecast for this coming week. There are lots of walks on the bike trail in our future! I think that's it for today. Have a great week!

Orange Almond Whole Grain Muffins

Happy Monday! While my little Jack bear is napping, I've got a chance to share a recipe for some very tasty muffins I made recently. This recipe if a slight adaptation from one in the April 2014 issue of Better Homes and Gardens magazine. I made these for Joe to take to work when it was his turn to bring snacks to his team's weekly meeting. I was a little worried that they would be super dense with the quinoa and whole wheat flour, and that the guys on his team would be put off by the appearance since I used red quinoa. But I shouldn't have been! The muffins were nice and fluffy and Joe says that everyone really enjoyed them. Now as I said, these are slightly changed from the original recipe. They used walnuts instead of almonds and did  not use any vanilla or almond extracts. Here's how I made them:

Orange-Almond Whole Grain Muffins
Makes 12 muffins

1 cup regular rolled oats
1 cup cooked quinoa, cooled (I cooked the quinoa and used it while it was still very hot, and it worked fine)
1/3 cup slivered almonds, chopped
1 T olive oil
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. salt
1 orange
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 2 teaspoons of vinegar mixed in)
1/2 cup sour cream
2 eggs
3 T. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla extract
1/4 t. almond extract

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place oats, quinoa, and almonds on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a non-stick mat. Toss with the olive oil to coat. Spread in an even layer and bake for 10-12 minutes. Remove and cool.

2. Grease or line 12 muffin cups with paper liners. In a large bowl, stir together all but 1/4 cup of the quinoa mixture, the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside

3. Finely shred 2 t. of peel from the orange. Then juice the orange to get about 3 T. of juice. In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, eggs, butter, orange juice, orange zest, vanilla and almond extracts. Add to the flour mixture and stir until just combined. The mixture will still be lumpy.

4. Divide between the prepared muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining quinoa mixture. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

According to the original recipe, each muffin has 238 calories, 10 g fat, 43 mg cholesterol, 267 mg sodium, 31 g carbs, 3 g fiber, and 7 g protein. That's a good amount of protein for a muffin!

These are great to have on hand for a quick breakfast of you're rushing to get out the door.

I think that's it for today! I'll be back later this week for a 2 month post on Mr. Jack. He's been doing great and is growing like crazy!